1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to telephone systems and more specifically relates to portable phones.
2. Background Art
Since Alexander Graham Bell uttered those famous words “Mr. Watson—come here —I want to see you”, the telephone has evolved into a necessity of modern living. Land-based telephone systems are the most ubiquitous, and have been found in most homes and businesses in the United States for many decades. Recently, wireless phones have gained in popularity. Wireless phones include cellular phones, digital phones, satellite phones, etc. For the purpose of discussion herein, the term “portable phone” applies to any and all types of wireless phones, whether now known or developed in the future.
Known portable phones are like land-based phones in the respect that they ring when the number that is assigned to the portable phone receives a call. Portable phones currently cannot affect the function of other portable phones or of land-based phones. Modern life makes it desirable for the location of a portable phone to affect how other land-based phones or other portable phones function. For example, when a user of a portable phone takes the phone home, it may be desirable for a call to the portable phone to ring the user's home phone instead, thereby avoiding wireless charges during the call. Without a way for a portable phone to change the function of other phones based on its geographical position, the power of using portable phones will not fully be realized.